Qatar’s National Pavilion opens at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia

By Admin - May 08, 2026

Qatar National Pavilion

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Commissioner of the National Pavilion of Qatar and Chairperson of Qatar Museums inaugurated untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people); Rirkrit Tiravanija, Sopha Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Faris, Fadi KattanC Year: s official contribution to the 61st International Art Exhibition—La Biennale Di Venezia presented at the location for Qatar's future permanent pavilion in Venice's Giardini della Biennale.

The exhibition is produced by Qatar Museums and is part of Rubaiya Qatar, a national multidisciplinary contemporary art quadrennial that has its first edition in November.
Her Excellency also welcomed distinguished guests at the official ceremony, including Luigi Brugnaro (Mayor of City of Venice), Khalid bin Youssef Al Sada (Ambassador of State of Qatar to Italian Republic); key Qatari and International guests such as Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi (CEO Qatar Museums), Sheikha Reem Al-Thani (Deputy CEO ALRIWAQ Public Art and Rubaiya Qatar ), Wael Shawky acclaimed artist and Director FireStation, Klaus Biesenbach, Director National Neuegalerie; Maurizio Cattelan Artist; Christophe Cherix,director Museum Modern Art; Nicholas Cullinan director British Museum; Frida Escobedo Architect; Lina Ghotmeh architect; Maja Hoffman Président Luma Foundation, Glenn Lowry director emeritus Museum modern art, India Mahdavi Head Jury Design Doha Prize 2026 Wim Pijbes Director Droom en Daad Foundation.
"Our participation in La Biennale di Venezia began with the dreams of our leadership, the Amir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to foster dialogue and introduce Qatar and regional talent around the world," states Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The Statement continues:We gather in an hour of challenge when displacement, destruction and destabilisation are common news touts across our region and parts of the invisible world. Culture unites what conflict seeks to divide and restores just a shred of the humanity we all have as individual ad-hominem. This is why Rirkrit Tiravanija, a master of participatory work or relational aesthetics, has been invited to conceive this exhibition for Qatar at Venice's Art Biennale, the first ever from Qatar.

Our community of artists will coalesce, in the oldest and most gracious meaning of the term a tribe: a circle united by hospitality, by craft, and — sharing a meal, or song or story is already beginning to know one another. Here in its tent; like frontliners encapsulating their ambits whilst combating this storm together as tribes.

A cultural exchange space that is designed by Rirkrit Tiravanija, which takes a main focus on participation and artistic intervention. Its temporary maroon structure is in the “scrambled” mashrabiya pattern — literally meaning “to see and be seen” in Arabic, a middle-eastern architectural element unique to Islamic culture that acts as both a window and shield.

an assembly of extraordinary individuals presents an experimental narrative film by Qatari-American artist Sophia Al-Maria, DAMAR TV (2026); Jerrican (2022–2026), a large scale sculpture by Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican artist Alia Farid; as well as live concerts curated by Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui and a culinary programme dedicated to Middle Eastern food created by Palestinian cook Fadi Kattan.

Over 70 musicians and singers from five nations greeted the exhibition opening with live music arranged by Atoui based on the forms of takht (classical Arabic orchestra) and wasla (musical suite). The performances were paired with food prepared by Kattan alongside chefs and authors Noof Al Marri of the Desert Rose Café at Qatar's National Museum (Qatar), Noor Murad (Bahrain) and Majed Ali Almatrooshi (United Arab Emirates), as well as mixologists Anna Patrowicz (Poland/UK) and Vesta Kontrimaviciene (Lithuania) of akub London.

Co-curated by Tom Eccles (Executive Director, Center for Curatorial Studies and the Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College), Ruba Katrib (Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs MoMA PS1).

You can find additional details and a full schedule of activations through November 2026 right here.

About Rubaiya Qatar

Rubaiya Qatar - Being built under the direction of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, Rubaiya Qatar is an international contemporary art quadrennial opening in multisite format throughout the state of Qatar with its first edition set for November 2026.

Designed to promote Qatar on a global stage, and to foster a cultural landscape for the future generations of artists and intellectuals, Rubaiya Qatar will host an exciting mix of exhibitions, commissions, public art initiatives, residencies publications lectures and more. The main exhibition at Rubaiya Qatar, Unruly Waters is curated by Tom Eccles, Ruba Katrib, Mark Rappolt (Editor-in-Chief of ArtReview and ArtReview Asia) and Shabbir Hussain Mustafa (Chief Curator, Singapore Art Museum).

Also part of Queer O (O Queer), are exhibitions Our Common Currents, curated by Lina Patmali (Acting Head of Curatorial Affairs, Rubaiya Qatar) and Seething Sea, curated by art historian Wadha Al Aqeedi. Organised by ALRIWAQ Art + Architecture (QM's contemporary art and architecture institution for research, exhibitions and public art), Rubaiya Qatar Rubaiya Qatar is directed by Sheikha Alanood Al Thani.